People are drinking hydrogen peroxide for health reasons, and professionals warn against it

People are taking to social media with their claim that hydrogen peroxide is good for you, insisting that since it “only comes from water and oxygen” it must “boost oxygen levels in the body.”

Hydrogen peroxide is most commonly used to help prevent infection of minor cuts or scrapes, but strangely, it’s being used by some to treat everything from headaches to cancer — something doctors would strongly urge you NOT to do.

Poison Control is clear that there is no scientific evidence to back this up. Though a tiny amount of Hydrogen Peroxide — like that in say, toothpaste — is not harmful, consuming the stuff can cause serious internal damage, confusion, strokes, heart attacks and clots in your lungs.

“Hydrogen peroxide, even a small amount, just enough to take a sip, can release hundreds of millimeters or liters of oxygen in the human body. If you were to ingest hydrogen peroxide, that air can get into the blood vessels and gravity rises it to the top, can go to your brain, heart or lungs,” a doctor told CBS.

While small amounts aren’t likely to have much effect, larger quantities can be toxic and even lead to death. According to CBS Sacramento, the California Poison Control Center has been getting calls from people asking if it’s okay to consume hydrogen peroxide for health reasons. This prompted the department to put out an alert informing people it’s essentially poison and asking them to stop ingesting it.

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Meghan is a full-time writer exploring the fun facts behind food. She lives a healthy lifestyle but lives for breakfast, dessert and anything with marinara. She’s thrown away just as many meals as she’s proud of.

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Meghan is a full-time writer exploring the fun facts behind food. She lives a healthy lifestyle but lives for breakfast, dessert and anything with marinara. She’s thrown away just as many meals as she’s proud of.